Morning journal and courier., 1887-09-17
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. THE VOLUNTEER CHOSEN To Defend: llI!t:. The Americas
 -' Cup. .... s.'. :. ...... IA GRAND ..hl MILITARY DISPLAY. Thousands In Line At Phil
 adeI Iphia.
 A FEARFUL RAILROAD CRASH. The Fall Of A Monster .. Meteor. '
i ZINE YACHT RACE.

II A FINE YACHT RACE.
 The Volunteer Does Some Wonderfu
 Sailing and Leaves the MayhOwe1 | Far Beh1nd-Selected by the Commit | tee to Race the Thistle.
 l NEW YORK, Sept. 16.-The third attempt
 to have trial race to choose the ablest yacht
 as the defender of the Americas cup agains
 the Scotch Thistle resulted in one of the
 finest contests ever seen in these waters an6 l the victory of the Volunteer. After the race ] the judges announced that the victor would defend the cup. The splendid breeze which
 made the race so satisfactory began to blow
 at 2:30 a. m. By it was a gale and at 8:15
 when the Volunteer and Mayhower left Bay | Ridge for the starting point-Seotland Light ship-it had moderated to a fresh whole sail | breeze. The sky was clear as 8 bell and the bay covered with white caps whens at 9 l o'clock Commander Elbridge Gerry's steam
 yacht Electra, the flagship of the New York yacht squadron, left her anchorage and fol | lowed the twin racers. The cutter Thistle under sail was found outside the Hook all
 ready to start with the others. Ex-Commo- I dore James D. Smith, chairman of the cup committee, laid the course southeast by south It was now 10:30 and both yachts having set main sails and jibs with club top sails over their working ones were standing off and on to the north of the starting line, an imaginary one drawn from the ightship to the Electra anchored cables length. As soon as the messages announcing the course were received down came spinnaker booms to port and all was hustle aboard the yachts.
 Both were on the starboard tack quarter of a mile away when the preparatory gun boomed it's warning at II o'clock. They had ten minutes to get ready. Four had passed when the Volunteer came about. She kept away from the line, General Paine watch in hand timing her. The Mayf1oWer was one- eighth of a mile on the Volunteers weather quarter and coming down fast for the line. Bang went the starting gun. Miss Mattie
 Benedict, daughter of E. s. Benedict, owner of the steam yacht Oneida. fired it by cleo tricity from the Electra's bridge and twenty seconds after the report the Volunteers great spinnaker blossomed out like huge snow white balloon. A minute later the
 Mayhowers was flying to the breeze. Down
 they came grandly for the line, crossing it as follows: Volunteer 11:11:57, Mayfower 11:14:43. The breeze was freshening every
 moment and prettier picture was ever seen than those two giant sloops flying away to the southward with their little pyramids of swelling: canvas. The Thistle, mile to leeward, had just squared away before the wind when the starting gun was fired, but Captain Barr held her main sheet we'll in to wait for the others Her spinnaker boom was dropped to port and she only carried her working topsail. Balloon jitstopsails were broken out few minutes after the start and
 the race between the big sloops for that outer mark ten miles away was a grand and exciting spectacle for the hun dreds who thronged the. decks of the excursion steamers and the guests aboard the Electra; Jay Gould's Atlanta and the
 yachts Viscon, Clean and linda. These
 and few tugs were the only convoy the racers had, in marked and pleasing contrast to the scores of attendant craft on previous days, who often hindered the contestants.
 As the Volunteer was exactly abreast of her on her port beam there was great hustle on the Thistle's decks. The white-jacketed sailors ran forward and all hands tailed on to the spinnaker halyards, walking the sail up to the masthead. In just seventy seconds 8 beautiful big cloud of white linen was bel lying out to windward, pulling like hun dred horses. Such spinnaker has never been set onsa English yacht in these waters. Mainsheet was given her at the same time and the cutter started ahead, cutting the green waves before in great white furrow For five or perhaps ten minutes she held her own with the Volunteer, then the Boston sloop drew slowly away from her, while the Mayhower seemed to gain on the Volunteer, but she could not pass the Thistle The wind now canted about point to eastward and at 11:54 the Volunteers spfnnaker came in. Captain Half slacked her balloon topsail ,I,o f1v1{ a0f ind there was. Five minutes later the spinna- kers came in on the Mayfowersand Thistle The outer mark was in sight and the breeze still freshening. Soon the Volunteer set her head sails and the Mayfower her balloon jib. Bang!. went gun from the Electra at mast announced the next course as vest southwest after turning the stake. At the moment the Mayfower's jibtopsail was blown out of it's roping and only few tatters re- mained. In three minutes the jib and staysails were hoisted and she went bravely on. At 1907 down came the Volunteers balloon jibtopsail and up went her head sails. The Thistle was travelling fast and gaining little on both. As they neared the mark the Thistle courteously sheered of to the westward, while the Volunteers main | sheet was trimmed in lively and gibing to port she came grandly around the stern of the stakeboat, the tug Haveland at anchor, and heeling down under her immense press of canvas till the lee rail was awash she dashed away to the southeast. The May flower made good turn and followed fast. The time taken here was: Volunteer, 12:17:43; Mayfower, 12:20:07.
 If there had been any doubt about the Thistle's speed it was dispelled by this time for she had held her own splendidly with both yachts in the run down and when she hauled up west southwest with them; she continued to travel fast through the water. She was unable, howsser, to carry her sail as we'll as the Volunteer, who stood up like church in the spiteful white squalls that struck them at times. The Volunteer finished at 2:32:46, about two miles ahead of the Mayfower. The following table shows the octual results:
 Start Finish. Elapsed. h. m 8, h. m S.. h. m. S.. Volunteer . s.. n:11:5S 3:a2:46 1-5 4:2O:49 IS Mayfawer. r..........11:t4:43 s:51:3445 4:36:51 5
 The committee selected the Volunteer to Go,